TY - JOUR
T1 - Epigenetic Flexibility Underlies Somaclonal Sex Conversions in Hexaploid Persimmon
AU - Masuda, Kanae
AU - Akagi, Takashi
AU - Esumi, Tomoya
AU - Tao, Ryutaro
N1 - Funding Information:
PRESTO from Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) [JPMJPR15Q1] to T.A., Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas from JSPS [19H04862] to T.A. and Grant-in- Aid for JSPS Fellows for [19J23361] to K.M.
Funding Information:
We thank Dr. Taiji Kawakatsu for supporting MethylC-Seq analysis and visualizing the circos plot and Mr. Takashi Imaoka and Mr. Nobuyuki Kushii for finding SMM branches in persimmon tree cv. Saijo. Some of this work was performed at the Vincent J. Coates Genomics Sequencing Laboratory at UC Berkeley supported by National Institutes of Health S10 OD018174 Instrumentation Grant. We thank Edanz Group (www.edanze diting.com/ac) for editing a draft of this article.
Funding Information:
PRESTO from Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) [JPMJPR15Q1] to T.A., Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas from JSPS [19H04862] to T.A. and Grant-in-Aid for JSPS Fellows for [19J23361] to K.M.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 The Author(s). All rights reserved.
PY - 2019/11/28
Y1 - 2019/11/28
N2 - Epigenetic regulation adds a flexible layer to genetic variations, potentially enabling long-term, but reversible, changes to a trait, while maintaining genetic information. In the hexaploid Oriental persimmon (Diospyros kaki), genetically monoecious cultivars bearing male flowers require the Y-encoded small RNA (smRNA) gene, OGI. This gene represses the expression of its autosomal counterpart gene, MeGI, as part of the canonical male production system. However, a D. kaki cultivar, Saijo, which lacks the OGI gene and originally bears only female flowers, occasionally produces somaclonal mutant male and revertant female (RF) branches. In this study, we investigated the mechanisms underlying these somaclonal sex conversions in persimmon. Specifically, we aimed to unravel how a genetically female tree without the OGI gene can produce male flowers and RF flowers. Applying multi-omics approaches, we revealed that this noncanonical male production system is basically consistent with the canonical system, in which the accumulation of smRNA targeting MeGI and the considerable DNA methylation of MeGI are involved. The epigenetic status of MeGI on CGN and CHG was synchronized to the genome-wide methylation patterns, both in transition to and from the male production system. These results suggest that the somaclonal sex conversions in persimmon are driven by the genome-wide epigenetic regulatory activities. Moreover, flexibility in the epigenetic layers of long-lived plant species (e.g. trees) is important for overcoming genetic robustness.
AB - Epigenetic regulation adds a flexible layer to genetic variations, potentially enabling long-term, but reversible, changes to a trait, while maintaining genetic information. In the hexaploid Oriental persimmon (Diospyros kaki), genetically monoecious cultivars bearing male flowers require the Y-encoded small RNA (smRNA) gene, OGI. This gene represses the expression of its autosomal counterpart gene, MeGI, as part of the canonical male production system. However, a D. kaki cultivar, Saijo, which lacks the OGI gene and originally bears only female flowers, occasionally produces somaclonal mutant male and revertant female (RF) branches. In this study, we investigated the mechanisms underlying these somaclonal sex conversions in persimmon. Specifically, we aimed to unravel how a genetically female tree without the OGI gene can produce male flowers and RF flowers. Applying multi-omics approaches, we revealed that this noncanonical male production system is basically consistent with the canonical system, in which the accumulation of smRNA targeting MeGI and the considerable DNA methylation of MeGI are involved. The epigenetic status of MeGI on CGN and CHG was synchronized to the genome-wide methylation patterns, both in transition to and from the male production system. These results suggest that the somaclonal sex conversions in persimmon are driven by the genome-wide epigenetic regulatory activities. Moreover, flexibility in the epigenetic layers of long-lived plant species (e.g. trees) is important for overcoming genetic robustness.
KW - DNA methylation
KW - Epigenetic variation
KW - Multi-omics
KW - Sex determination
KW - Somaclonal mutation
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U2 - 10.1093/pcp/pcz207
DO - 10.1093/pcp/pcz207
M3 - Article
C2 - 31693144
AN - SCOPUS:85081073313
VL - 61
SP - 393
EP - 402
JO - Plant and Cell Physiology
JF - Plant and Cell Physiology
SN - 0032-0781
IS - 2
ER -